Love Yourself: 5 Healthy Body Image Tips From Blogilates' Cassey Ho

Fitness expert Cassey Ho started her YouTube channel Blogilates back in 2009, and since then she's seen its popularity soar. Today, more than 2 million subscribers log on to watch her latest workout routines or to get advice on healthy food. But with loyal fans ("POPsters," she calls them) come harsh critics—some who leave mean comments aimed squarely at hurting her feelings.

"Being in the fitness industry I am expected to look a certain way," Ho says. "I constantly hear that I don't look like other fitness trainers, but that's not my goal. As an instructor I want to make sure you have fun working out so you can attain your own dream body and dream life. At the end of the day what truly matters is that I'm healthy and I'm happy with myself. If I look in the mirror and feel good then I'm OK."

__That's why Ho decided to take charge and start a conversation about bullying with a video called The Perfect Body. __

"I had this idea...to express how I felt visually," she says, "I decided to photoshop myself and "fix" all the things people wanted me to change."

As you can imagine, the video became a viral sensation in a matter of days, with both positive and negative feedback.

"They either praised or degraded my appearance," she says. "Some people thought my photoshopped body was their "goal," while other people still didn't think I looked good enough. But the support from my viewers was so special and I cannot thank them enough. I really just wanted people to share this message because we can all relate to being body-shamed or bullied, and it needs to stop."

And since her goal is to inspire everyone to be happy, healthy, and positive, she shared her top five tips to love yourself and your body just the way you are:

Accept that you are beautiful no matter what you look like, but always strive to be the best, most healthiest version of yourself.

Do workouts you love. Fitness shouldn't just be about training to look a certain way, it should make you happy. And when you feel good, you automatically have better body image.

Don't measure your worth by the number on the scale. Your beauty is not defined by how much you weigh.

Surround yourself with positivity and people who uplift you. When you keep yourself in a close circle of people who love and support you, then you'll learn to appreciate yourself more.

Care for your body so that it can care for you. When you eat healthy and exercise regularly, your body will naturally become healthier and you'll simply feel and look better.